2018 Ford Focus Complaint Log

Vehicle with no warning or signs displayed a transmission fault while in cruise control on flat straight road and began to rev. Pulled off of main road into parking lot and attempted to back into space but vehicle would not reverse. There was no issue backing up 15 minutes prior and of course it happens shortly after the 100,000 mile mark.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering assist warning light illuminated, and the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with electronic power steering assist module failure. The contact was informed that the electronic power steering assist module needed to be reset. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, moments later the vehicle was restarted, and the check engine warning light remained illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle failed to respond when shifted into reverse(R). The contact stated that while driving the vehicle failed to exceed 15 MPH and failed to drive in the lower gears. The vehicle was taken to the local service center who diagnosed that the transmission control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 134,000.

The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while his daughter was driving 70 MPH, the low oil pressure and check engine warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle started shuddering and then lost motive power. The contact's daughter was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the oil pump pretensioner belt had failed, which caused the engine and the turbo to fail. The dealer informed the contact that the engine and the turbo needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 70,318.

IN SEPTEMBER OF 2023, I EXPERIENCED AN OIL PRESSURE LIGHT. IT WAS EXPALIEND THAT THE OIL PUMP DRIVE BELT FAILED AND I NEEDED MY ENGINE REPLACED. SINCE THEN, I HAVE REACHED OUT MULITPLE TIMES TO FORD WITH LITTLE RECOURSE AS TO HELP WITH MY PROBLEM. NOW, RECALL # 23S64 / 23V905 HAS BEEN ISSUED CONCERNING MY PROBLEM. IN MY CHAT WITH FORD, THEY INDICATED THE PROBLEM IS MY RESPONSIBILITY AND WOULD NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE RECALL AND ANY HELP.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and the VIN was included, but parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was 53,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The purge valve has been an ongoing continuous problem since we bought the vehicle. I have fixed it multiple times. It’s caused the vehicle to stall after putting gas in the tank, and just recently stalled while driving, causing me to hit a curb leading to the passenger front tire popping, the rim being dented, the tire rod bent, alignment out of wack, and the valance ripped off. It also caused a dashboard light to pop up saying Hill Start is Not Available. I was in the car thankfully alone and not with my children. The windshield wipers are a fairly newer issue, they come on whenever they want with the switch being touch. But won’t come on when I try to do it myself. I had my mom take a photo of the steering wheel/road while I was driving to show the severity of the alignment needed, it’s causing extra wear and tear EXTREMELY fast on tires. Rainy season has begun and this is absolutely unsafe and not my responsibility.

While driving on the highway my oil light came on, followed by a complete loss of power and my vehicle went into limp mode. I was almost hit twice while trying to get off on the shoulder. I proceeded to shut the car off for 20 minutes and checked the oil level to which it was full. I sat for 30 more minutes and attempted to start the vehicle when it started knocking. I immediately shut it off and had it towed home. From home I contacted a Ford dealership and had it towed there 9/20/23. There they ran their mechanical oil pressure gauge and my engine had absolutely no oil pressure. The “recommendation” is to replace the long block and turbo, as if it’s drivable any other way.

I was driving and could not get the transmission out of first gear and will not go in reverse. I was broke down waiting for a tow n 110 degree Texas weather. I have vertigo so I do not drive much. My car only has 55018 miles. I cannot afford a $6500 transmission repair. I am a single mom trying to put two girls through college. Help!!

The purge valve problem persists well into this model year. The car is hiccuping and stalling at lights and has difficulty starting after fueling. I find it appalling that reprogramming the "check engine" light to acknowledge the defect, rather than actually repairing the defect was considered an adequate solution. My car has 59,000 miles and is just out of warranty. I think had this purge valve problem (rather than just the engine light symptom) been properly addressed by the NHTSA and Ford, my family would be safer in this car. I will never buy a Ford again.

See attached document for complaint

My oil light is flickering. I have taken it to 3 different mechanics, one of which is a Ford dealership. Oil is getting on the timing belt, causing it to fray. Oil is being prevented from getting to the engine efficiently. They all state that the problem is a design issue, and that having it repaired will fix it for awhile, but the problem will continue later.

NHTSA number 18v845000 and 18v735000, my car is showing the same symptoms transmission and purge valve and should be included in these recalls

Slave cylinder on 2018 limited edition focus rs, i was driving home and pedal instantly fell to the floor! In the middle of the highway right before my exit and I had to do some rather scary driving when the car wouldn't change gears & stalled. I had to get the car to emergency lane/shoulder to pull over! No previous signs/warning lights or vehicle drive ability leading up to complete catastrophic failure of said slave cylinder. It's currently at the dealership where I had it towed with the clutch still on the floor &. Although the clutch was still on the floor the dealership took 2 DAYS TO "DIAGNOSE" the issue with the vehicle when its obviously a hydraulic issue with either the master cylinder or slave cylinder smdh thats an issue in of its self but i digress.The dealership did confirm that it is indeed a complete failure of slave cylinder. I've read that this is a known issue with ford focus vehicles that ford is well aware of yet they haven't recalled this part let alone acknowledge said issue when brought in for replacement. This is the 2nd time I have an issue with the slave cylinder which I had replaced 26,000 miles ago my vehicle currently has 126,699 but I replaced slave cylinder @ 104,568 miles so new slave cylinder doesn't even have 30,000 miles on it.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, the following morning the vehicle failed to start. The battery was replaced however, after starting the vehicle, the vehicle was operating in LIMP Mode. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced; however, after retrieving the vehicle the check engine warning light remained illuminated and the RPM was revving too high. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who diagnosed that the TCM was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 61,000.

While driving my car cuts off in the middle of the intersection of one of the most busiest streets where I live causing someone to bump into me nothing major but I was already still at that point with my Emergancy signals on but the oil pump went causing my car to shut completely off oil light comes on I contacted a mechanic just to look and he said my oil pump blew I have a crack in the pan smh no warning until it happened found out it’s a common issue with fords it really sucks

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated she was not aware of any warning lights being illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle also stalled at slower speeds, and there were times when the vehicle failed to restart. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the Canister Purge Valve (CPV) needed to be replaced. The mechanic advised the contact that there was a manufacturer’s recall associated with the failure; NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact was referred to a dealer by the mechanic to have the vehicle repaired. The contact was informed by the dealer that the VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to increase in speed while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning light had illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer for diagnoses but the failure could not be replicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer on another occasion where it was diagnosed that the automatic clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light, the low oil pressure warning light, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart even though the fuel gauge indicated that there was a quarter gallon of fuel remaining in the fuel tank. The contact stated that after his friend added fuel to the vehicle, the vehicle restarted and operated as needed. The contact stated that the failure recurred while at a complete stop at a traffic light. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove to the nearest gas station, where the vehicle completely lost power. The contact refueled the vehicle and the vehicle responded as needed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the canister purge valve was stuck and needed to be replaced. The failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 68,820.

When you accelerate the car hesitates and shakes, the rpm needle goes way up even though you are creeping along. It seems like it is a recall issue on earlier model Ford Focus's. The recall should be extended to all model years. There is no reason I should have to spend money to repair a transmission issue on a 5 year old car. It is sitting out on the street not being driven while I make payments, not a happy camper. The check engine light comes on also, if someone was following too close and it starts sputtering it could cause an accident, a auto parts store checked it out- Most likely solution-"Replace Dual Clutch Transmission Clutch Assembly"

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and was unable to accelerate above 50 MPH. The contact was able to pull off the roadway, where the failure persisted. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the oil pump which caused damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and the VIN was included but parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 48,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the EVAP canister and purge valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 85,000.

[XXX], oil light came on, and engine fault light, That day I made a appt at the dewey ford dealership, in ankeny iowa, for monday, august 8..., I had no car problems before this date ( the 5th) august 9th, dewey texts me to let me know, the oil pump failed, and there is metal contamination in the engine and the turbo , I need a new engine and turbo charger.. to the tune of 6249.71 dollars my car is a 2018 ford focus with 50.500 miles on it !! They are saying there is not any warranty on the car, .. I see that there are some class action lawsuits for ford, with the very problem I am describing.. of course no one from ford has mentioned that... please let me know what to do... Thankyou for your help [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] .. text only please.. dont hear well ( or e mail ) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after several attempts to start the vehicle, the vehicle started however, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact shut off the vehicle and waited for a while however, the vehicle failed to restart. The contact attempted to jumpstart the vehicle, but the vehicle would not start. The contact added oil to the engine and the vehicle was able to restart but with a clicking sound coming from the engine. Additionally, the vehicle would not accelerate properly. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced due to the clutch sticking. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but provided no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 83,900.

Oil pump tensioner failed without warning causing engine failure. Upon research, it's become a know issue in ecoboost 1.0 engines with Ford. Red oil pressure light comes on followed shortly by engine fault display. Confirmed by dealership.

The canister purge valve (which ford currently has a recall on just not for my vin) got stuck open and ruined the front manifold catalytic converter. Called ford to explain that this part is impacting other models

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the ignition switch had to be turned several times before the vehicle started. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked and shuddered while changing gear, with the check engine light warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who determined that the transmission control module (TCM) was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 69,000.

Slipping of transmission in my Ford Focus 2018 SE With transmission not in-gaging fully and sluggish have difficulty with it not pulling up hills. My vehicle has an automatic transmission, not a clutch. Had repair vehicle about 2 years ago. Under supposed recall. Vehicle is now reacting the same as before. I am not sure what the previous repairs entailed. However, the vehicle has ran fine until 2 days ago.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that upon attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an unknown dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Car started making a noise and jerking, couldn't go above 12 mph and wouldn't go in reverse. Check engine light came on. This is same fault we had with our previous Ford focus which was supposed to be corrected in 2018 models but clearly isn't. Dealership said it is tcm and back order for part could be months, told us they don't do loaner cars but the repair is free. The repair isn't free because this is our only car and my disabled husband needs transport to weekly hospital appointments so it is costing 30 dollars a day for a rental we shouldn't have to pay for. Ford TCM is clearly a huge issue no matter what year you buy.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after refueling, he attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to restart immediately. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the fuel tank pressure sensor and the fuel tank vacuum had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

Several weeks ago, my "ENGINE LIGHT" came on. I went to the mechanics and they diagnosed it as a "CLUTCHED MOTOR" My A&B clutches are affected by this. Now my car does a little jerk when I drive it sometimes. I do the proper maintenance on it when it needs to be done, so I'm not sure why this all is happening. I would appreciate if I could get some type of understanding and/or feedback on this situation.

I brought my 2018 Ford focus in July 22 2021 . I took it in because it had taken over an hour to crank and when it did crank it get really bad had it brought to Green Ford in Greensboro North Carolina. They said they fixed it. I end up having to bring it back the next day. When I brought it back they said that the head gaskets had cracked so they were going to replace and the engine. The engine was on back order. The engine was on backorder. They finally had it fixed and ready for me September 16th, 2021. May 26th, 2022. I brought it down to town and country Ford in Charlotte, North Carolina because I had a light on and something smell like it was burning. They informed me that my engine once again had overheated and a head gasket was cracked . Again, the engine was on backorder so I received my car June 22nd 2022. At that time I was told that my warranty was 60,000 mi or 5 years. July 24th 2023 driving home from work. My car overheated and I pulled over and had called it to be towed into green ford in Greensboro, North Carolina again. They called July 25th, 2022 stating that the engine had blown again. But this time is because the fan had died in that my car was not under warranty. I had asked for the invoice at green ford from the back in July 22,2021. As my stepfather and I were looking over both invoices, we noticed that green Ford had a code on there for a remanufactured engine/ OEM long block. When called about this they stated that's how they bill for labor. I'll try to call customer service with Ford. They can't give me any information on how they bill for labor. My complaint is that I've had two engines put into my car in a year and a half and no one's wanting to figure out why my car is overheating. I believe that it have been the fan the whole time. Down for the third time. My engine is blown. I have no warranty and they're trying to charge me $9,500 for parts and labor.

As I was driving my 2018 Ford Focus, the check engine flashed on. Almost as soon as I noticed it flashed on, it went away. Several more miles down the interstate, it came on again. Almost as soon as it came on, a warning displayed stating Engine Temp Hot, Stop Safely. As I started to pull over onto the shoulder, the power steering went out and then the brakes became extremely hard to push in. As my car slowed down I noticed smoke and as soon as we stopped flames came out from under the hood of the car. I called 911 and the Indiana State Police came and Incident # 2023-00344031 was filed after Pike Township Fire department extinguished the flames. State Farm Insurance was contacted and my car was deemed a total loss. I have photos but the website wouldn't upload the photos.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was not able to restart. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 88,133.

Transmission issue. Dry clutch system causes the clutch to overheat and the TCM to fail. The car jerks and lurches and doesn't shift when it should. FORD issued recall for 2016 and the same transmission is in the 2018 as well.

Vehicle has less than 70,000 miles on it. While driving lost oil pressure and brakes. Yes available for inspection. When pressure was lost and brakes failed I could not have stopped to avoid an accident. Multiple articles on the pump failure. Spoke with Ford they say not their problem. No warning. Engine light came on with brake light while driving. Car has been sitting parked. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the clutch started slipping. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the RPMs increased; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer determined that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was informed that the vehicle was no longer under Warranty. The failure mileage was unknown.

July 9, 2023 Rough idle and hesitant to start. No check engine light no codes on reader. Had oil changed as part of routine scheduled maintenance and was told coolant was low and topped off. July 13 noticed coolant at low on coolant reservoir. July 14 car shut off getting off highway driving to work. Check engine light now illuminated. I was able to restart the car but started to overheat and got overheating warning. Turned off ignition and restarted did not get overheating warning until I started driving. 8 hours later coolant reservoir below low line, added coolant and attempted to drive home, car shut off. Having car towed to dealership that replaced the engine. Engine only has 10,000 miles but odometer reads 68,000 Ford says no warranty is on the replacement motor.

My 2018 Ford focus has an issue with the clutch in the automatic transmission. I have been told by my local dealership this is caused because people drive the car to “nicely” and the clutch gets polished. I believe this is a hazard because my car had been having issues starting to move when going uphill since 12000 miles

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine block had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. An undisclosed dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to contact the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was denied coverage due to the vehicle being out of warranty. The failure mileage was 47,686.

See attached document for complaint.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the "Low Oil Pressure" warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, and it was determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that recently while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to another dealer who determined that the oil pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, and the brake pedal became firm. The check oil warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into reverse. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the purge valve and coolant reservoir needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the transmission control module (TCM) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 63,691.

UNKNOWN clutch actuators housing needs constant cleaning and causing car to not go into reverse

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that she attempted to start the vehicle twice before the vehicle started as needed. After the vehicle started, the gear shifter was difficult to shift into the intended gear. The contact was able to shift to drive; however, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,800.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that soon after starting the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle then failed to accelerate above 35 MPH and was driven to an independent mechanic. A diagnostic test was performed on the vehicle and the contact was instructed to stop driving the vehicle due to a drive belt failure. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); which was linked to the failure; however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 52,595. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The oil, battery, and check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact used an ODB scanner to diagnose the vehicle however, the contact was unable to retrieve a trouble code. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the oil pump had failed, and the turbo charger shattered, and pieces entered the engine block. The dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

Ford Focus went into automatic limp mode after a dead battery with no reverse. I've heard it's an ongoing issues with these cars. And Ford has a program to fix these issues unfortunately my car year falls outside their current criteria. Took the car to the mechanic and they said it's an ongoing issue with these cars.